When Simon Ceglinski speaks about change, there's a sense of urgency.
He's gay, he's a surf clubbie and he's got a life-and-death message for surf life saving clubs — and pretty much anyone who goes to the beach.
"If our surf clubs don't change, the end result is there will be no surf lifesavers on the beach," he says.
"No lifesavers means more deaths, it's really straightforward."
Mr Ceglinski is the patrol captain at Brunswick Heads Surf Life Saving Club on the New South Wales far north coast and he's on a mission to ensure the club's membership fully reflects the diverse community it's working to keep safe.
"The ideal of the bronzed surf lifesaver, is by and large dead, it doesn't exist anymore," he says.
"You'll notice that we no longer have speedos, our uniform is the red shorts, long-sleeved yellow shirt and a cap."
With a twinkle in his eye, he explains, "this is our uniform, we are very proud of this and we don't care what's happening under the yellow long-sleeved shirt."
The '80s and '90s were 'a different place'
Mr Ceglinski joined the nippers — a surf lifesaving program for kids between the ages of five and 14 — in 1986, and has spent his life on the beach at Brunswick Heads.
But he says when he started, it was a different cultural landscape.
"I think I've always known that I am gay, but back in the 80s and 90s, surf life saving clubs were a different place," he says.
"It's only been in the past 10 years that we've started really celebrating diversity in our membership."
For the first time, Mr Ceglinski and his husband will be at the front of this year's Sydney WorldPride Mardi Gras Parade, heading up the Lifesavers with Pride banner.
"Last year during the celebrations we were doing flood rescues instead — this year, nature is on our side," he says.
An inclusivity message
Mr Ceglinski says Brunswick Heads Surf Life Saving Club is actively looking to diversify its membership "so we can reflect our community".
"Last year, we had nearly 35,000 beach goers here at [Brunswick] and this year around 25 per cent of all rescues across the [NSW far] north coast have been done here," Mr Ceglinski says.
"About 50 per cent of our membership, including our management team, are females.
"We really like having difference, because the difference makes us stronger."
He says the club also actively recruits people who are non-athletic and non-swimmers to fly drones.
"We need people to fly our uncrewed aerial vehicles … to look for sharks and provide swimming surveillance," he says.
Social media and advertising is another place the club likes to make a difference.
"We take out gender pronouns that describe surf life savers as a 'him' or a 'she'," Mr Ceglinski says.
"That's our inclusivity message."
'We should all be able to be involved'
Geof Finch, 68, was not raised a "nipper".
In fact, he's a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to the surf club, only joining about five years ago.
He's now one of the chief water safety officers, and what attracts him to the small coastal club is the feeling of inclusiveness that Mr Ceglinski is aiming for.
"From my point of view as an 'elderly' person coming into the club, I found that the training is superb," Mr Finch says.
"They really gear you up for life beside the ocean.
"I was on the beach the other day and I walked past a guy in a wheelchair and I feel everyone is able, in some form, to be involved in the beach.
"No matter what our background, we should all be able to be involved."
A family affair
The club's captain, Leigh Robbins, also didn't begin life as a nipper.
But when her son joined eight years ago, she slowly became more involved.
It took Ms Robbins a bit of time to get her toes wet.
She began helping out around the club, and now holds the current title of regional Surf Life Saver of the Year.
According to Mr Ceglinski, Ms Robbins now does more hours on the beach and in the water than any other member in the club.
Ms Robbins spent last weekend organising the nippers' annual club paddle, centred around this year's theme of Sydney WorldPride.
The club spent its weekend rainbow colouring its activities, but Ms Robbins says the idea of "pride" within the surf club extends to absolute inclusivity.
"There is WorldPride, but for us it's about engaging everyone — every … culture, every male, female, non-binary, everyone!"
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